Steppin' out with Michael Ingersoll

December 30, 2009 10:06:13 AM PST

December 30, 2009 --

Chicago's rising star Michael Ingersoll will be saying "Bye Bye Baby" to Jersey Boys, as the hit musical ends its long run in the Windy City on January 10. Ingersoll, who has played Nick Massi since the show opened here, has a flourishing solo career that he has nurtured while appearing in the demanding Tony Award-winning show. His Chicago area concerts sell-out quickly.Next up for the versatile vocalist are Steppin' Out! An Evening with Michael Ingersoll a one-night only engagement at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora on Saturday, January 16, and Michael Ingersoll and the Boys: Once More Before We Go at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre in Arlington Heights on Monday, February 1 and Tuesday, February 2 at 7:30 p.m. Two other January concerts at the Metropolis are already sold out.

For all the shows, Ingersoll is the centerpiece of the performance, with several solo pieces comprising the show's first act. He then introduces and performs with the other members of the Jersey Boys Chicago cast, John Michael Dias, Shonn Wiley and Michael Cunio, and his wife Angela Ingersoll, herself an incredible actress and singer. These fabulous performers also share their personal stories of family, show biz and performing with the Chicago Company of Jersey Boys for a truly unforgettable evening of entertainment. Backed by a 15-piece, nationally renowned big band, The Mulligan Mosaics, Michael, the boys, and his girl will rock and swing with the music of the '50s and '60s era doo-wop, Rat Pack favorites and a few extra surprises.

Michael holds a strong commitment to giving back to the communities in which he has performed and includes a charitable component within each concert. Over the last 18 months he has raised more than $40,000 to save Metropolis Outreach, which provides top quality performing arts education through in- and after-school programming, and throughout the community to facilitate a cultural dialogue, connect communities and present opportunities for the arts to be part of the everyday experience. In the past three years Metropolis Outreach has served over 9,000 people through several programs including a year-long program with artists with special needs (Down syndrome, autism, fully wheelchair bound children, non-verbal children), terminally-ill patients in hospices, anti-gang programs, workshops for seniors, intergenerational programs and more.

"I've worked with hundreds of artists over the years, but I've never met one with such compassion for others and the drive to help people and make a positive impact on this world," says Metropolis Performing Arts Centre Executive Director, Jim Jarvis. "That is who Michael Ingersoll is."

Tickets to Steppin' Out! An Evening with Michael Ingersoll are $45.50 - $55.50 and are available at the Paramount Theatre box office, 23 E Galena Blvd, Aurora; (630) 896-6666 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Audience members can top off the evening at a Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Party after the show, which includes a meet and greet with the stars of Steppin' Out! Tickets to the exclusive after party are $20. For more information visit www.paramountarts.com .

Tickets to Michael Ingersoll and the Boys: Once More Before We Go are $44 - $49 and are available at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre box office (847) 577-2121 or online at www.metropolisarts.com. The Metropolis Performing Arts Centre is located at 111 W Campbell St, in Arlington Heights. For more information visit www.metropolisarts.com.

Michael Ingersoll can currently be seen as Nick Massi of the Four Seasons in the Tony Award-winning sensation "Jersey Boys" at Broadway in Chicago's Bank of America Theatre through Jan. 10, 2010. Prior to joining the Chicago cast, he originated the role of Nick Massi for the First National Tour of "Jersey Boys," playing to sold-out crowds in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Other Chicago theater credits include "Tick, Tick?Boom!" (Jonathan Larson, Jeff Citation Nomination) with Pegasus Players, and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" (Robert) at Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. Michael made his feature film debut in the highly acclaimed motion picture "Walk The Line" (Donzil). His television credits include playing opposite Patrick Swayze as Brad O? Keefe in Age's "The Beast," and musical guest spots for "The Oprah Winfrey Show;" "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno;" the "Primetime Emmy Awards;" and PHs's "A Capitol Fourth: America?s Independence Day Celebration." Originally from Dayton, Ohio, Michael holds a BFA in Acting from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio. For more information, visit www.michaelingersoll.com.

Founded in 2006 by Ted Hogarth, The Mulligan Mosaics Big Band has performed at FitzGerald's in Berwyn, Millennium Park in Chicago as part of the 2006 Great Performers of Illinois festival, the 2007 Chicago Jazz Festival, the 2007 Fox Jazz Fest (Menasha, Wis.), The Fox Note (Princeton, Wis.), the 2008 Jazz Fest Glenn Ellyn, the 2008 Evanston Jazz Festival, the McAninch Arts Center with guest vocalist Judi Silvano, and Joe and Wayne Segal?s Jazz Showcase, where they recently recorded a live concert for future release. The Mulligan Mosaics Big Band is comprised of some of Chicago?s top musicians, musical improvisers and educators, including Ted Hogarth, Chris Madsen, Mark Colby, Rob Denty, Nick Moran, Tim Coffman, Bryant Scott, Thomas Matta, Terry Connell, Tom Tallman, Art Davis, Joe Policastro and Ed Breazeale. For more information, visit www.mulliganmosaics.com.

Ted Hogarth received a Master's Degree in Jazz Composition with Distinction from DePaul University in 2005. A jazz educator with a private teaching studio and master class offerings at various schools and universities in the Chicago metropolitan area, Ted is also a composer who has written compositions and arrangements for schools such as Illinois Weslyan University and Roosevelt Middle School, as well as features for individual performers such as Mark Colby. He has recorded with many world-class artists including Phil Woods and Slide Hampton, and has performed with a wide array of musicians including Ramsey Lewis, Ten Thousand Maniacs and Wayne Newton. He has released two recordings, most recently as a member of Jeru (self-titled), a piano-less quartet modeled after the Gerry Mulligan Quartet. Ted is the founder and leader of The Mulligan Mosaics Big Band as well as being a member of Jeru and Orbert Davis?s Chicago Jazz Philharmonic. He is currently performing in the pit orchestra of the Chicago Company of Jersey Boys, through January 10, 1010.